Canterbury
North Upper Arlington around Canterbury Road and Thompson Park: 1960s houses, deep gardens, and the Lane Road library.
Wide leafy street of split-level houses in north Upper Arlington near Fishinger Road
Why people stay in Canterbury
Canterbury covers the northern band of Upper Arlington, roughly between Fishinger Road and McCoy Road, either side of Canterbury Road. This is the city's 1960s and early-70s layer — split-levels and long low ranches on quarter-acre lots, cul-de-sacs instead of the curving boulevards of the historic district, and mature trees that have finally caught up with the architecture. It is completely unremarkable to look at and extremely pleasant to be in, which is a fair summary of Upper Arlington generally.
The practical anchors are Thompson Park at 4250 Woodbridge Road, with its pool, shelter and playing fields, and the Upper Arlington Public Library's Lane Road branch at 1945 Lane Road, which is the quietest place to work in the city. Beyond those you are driving: the nearest big supermarket is a five-minute run, Lane Avenue's shops are ten minutes south, and I-270 is close enough at the top of the city to make Dublin, Worthington and the airport easy. That road access is Canterbury's real selling point.
It is dead at night, honestly and thoroughly. Nine o’clock in Canterbury is a lit kitchen window, a garage door closing and a cat. There is no bar, no café that opens past six, and no bus route within comfortable walking distance of most streets — the nearest useful COTA service is a fair way south. Rates run around $95 on a January Monday and $150-$190 in June, mostly for whole houses with garden and driveway, which is why families with children and a hire car do well here.
Stay in Canterbury if you are visiting people in north Upper Arlington or Dublin, if you want space and a driveway, or if your trip is built around I-270 and day trips out to Powell, Delaware and the Hocking region. Do not stay here if you are relying on buses, if you want to walk to dinner, or if you are only in Columbus for two nights of city sightseeing — Downtown Columbus or the Short North will serve you far better and cost about the same in low season.
Look for the cul-de-sacs off Canterbury Road and the streets between Fishinger Road and McCoy Road — deep lots, mature shade, and a driveway you can actually get two cars onto. Expect $95 to $150 a night on ordinary dates and $150 to $220 in late May, early June and on autumn football Saturdays. The stock is almost entirely whole houses; there are no hotels in north Upper Arlington itself, and if you want a front desk the realistic clusters are Bethel Road three miles east, or the Dublin and Sawmill Road corridors ten minutes north on I-270, where midscale rooms run $95-$140. Avoid lets fronting Fishinger Road or McCoy Road: both are 35mph through-routes with heavy morning traffic and no tree buffer. Anything one street back is silent by 8pm.
Things to do in Canterbury
At 4250 Woodbridge Road, the northern half of the city's park system: Thompson Pool, shelters, ball diamonds and open lawn. Pool season runs roughly Memorial Day to mid-August with day passes for non-residents. Out of season the park is still the best local dog walk and it has proper parking, unlike most Upper Arlington greens.
The Upper Arlington Public Library's Lane Road branch at 1945 Lane Road is small, modern, extremely quiet and has free wifi, tables and a children's area. It is the north end's default rainy-afternoon plan. Check the current hours online — branch hours differ from the main Tremont Road building and Sunday opening is limited.
Fifteen minutes north gets you to Historic Dublin's stone buildings, the Dublin Link pedestrian bridge over the Scioto and Muirfield Village's neighbourhood. Free parking in the Bridge Street garages, lunch $15-$25, and it is the nearest place with an actual walkable evening that is not Columbus proper.
At 4395 Carriage Hill Lane in the north-west of the city, a relocated 19th-century barn rebuilt as an event space, sitting in a park with a playground and pond loop. The barn is usually booked for private functions so admire it from outside; the park around it is open and free and is the prettiest picnic spot up here.
The northern streets are wide, lightly trafficked and gently rolling, which makes them the best casual cycling in Upper Arlington. Start on Canterbury Road, work west toward Riverside Drive, and pick up the riverside path at Griggs Reservoir if you want more distance. Sunday mornings before 10am you will have the road.
Ten minutes south, the Lane Avenue Shopping Center at 1555 West Lane Avenue holds a Whole Foods and La Chatelaine's French bakery, with Hudson 29 at 1600 West Lane Avenue for a proper dinner. This is the closest thing north Upper Arlington has to a high street and it is all free parking.
What to see
Hotels near Canterbury
No hotels are listed in Canterbury yet. The nearest ones are on the region page.
Getting around Canterbury
Drive: from John Glenn Columbus International it is I-670 west to SR-315 north, exit at Henderson or Fishinger Road, 25 minutes and $40-$50 by rideshare. From the north, I-270 exits at Riverside Drive, Sawmill Road or Tuttle Crossing put you in Canterbury inside ten minutes, which makes this the best base in the guide for anyone flying into or driving through on the outerbelt. Public transport is poor: no COTA route runs through the residential streets and the nearest reliable services are Line 3 on Northwest Boulevard and the Henderson Road corridor, both a drive or a long walk away. Fares are $2.00 single, $4.50 day pass. Inside the area, drive or cycle.
Questions about Canterbury
It depends what you came for. Downtown Columbus is 15-20 minutes by car off-peak, Ohio State is 12 minutes, and I-270 at the top of the city puts Dublin, Worthington and Hilliard inside a quarter of an hour. If your trip is car-based, Canterbury is convenient. If you intended to use buses, it is the wrong end of the city entirely.
Thompson Park at 4250 Woodbridge Road is the main one, with a pool in summer and open fields the rest of the year. Sunny 95 Park at 4395 Carriage Hill Lane has the restored Amelita Mirolo Barn and a good playground. Both are free, both have proper car parks, and both are noticeably emptier than Northam Park on a warm weekend.
There are none in north Upper Arlington. The nearest reliable clusters are Bethel Road, about three miles east, and the Sawmill Road and Dublin corridors off I-270, ten to fifteen minutes north. Both offer midscale chains in the $95-$140 band outside of peak weekends. Everything within Canterbury itself is a whole-house or garden-suite let, typically with a two-night minimum.
Mild by Great Lakes standards but real. January and February average highs sit around freezing, with a handful of snow events a season and occasional ice on Fishinger and McCoy first thing. City streets are plowed quickly and schools rarely close. The practical effect on a visitor is short daylight — dark by 5:30pm in December — which makes a north-end base with no walkable evening feel very quiet indeed.
